The Case for Buying Travel Insurance

Did you even ever think about the need to buy travel insurance before heading off on an overseas vacation?

Plenty of people don’t purchase travelers insurance because they don’t know about it. Others know about it but choose not to purchase because they 1) don’t think it is important, and 2) would rather spend that money on something else instead of having it go to waste.

I’m here to explain a little more about travel insurance and why this mode of thinking above might end up costing you more money in the long-run.

Most health insurance policies do not cover your accidents and injuries when you are in another country. That’s where travel insurance comes into play. If for some reason, you have to head to the doctor or hospital while traveling, you are now covered and can get some of your money back.

In addition to health coverage, some policies help to cover issues involved with travel, such as having your luggage lost and needing to buy some clothes and toiletries to get by. Some also help to cover the costs if your important belongings get stolen mid-trip like laptops and cameras.

Do you Need travel insurance?
I know, you’re probably thinking, “Oh, but I never get injured when I’m at home. I’ll buy the insurance and then never have to use it. Money wasted!”

This might be true. You will most likely go abroad, have a terrific time, and, besides a small cold or a bad hangover, you will come home just fine, never needing to touch a claim form.

Call it the worrywart in me, but doesn’t traveling often put you in new places with new medical concerns, or make you do things you might not do at home more often than not?

For example, malaria runs rampant in certain parts of the world, and that can easily put you in the hospital for an extended stay. And, when do you think you’d be more likely to go skiing, jet boating, or hiking in rather remote places? Probably when you are out traveling on vacation, right?

Forget the claim of needing to be evacuated to a medical center that can provide the proper medical treatment, costing you $90,000 out of pocket without a travel insurance policy. Think about the simple broken bone. Even that can cost you thousands of dollars – perhaps even thousands of dollars you don’t have.

To me, there would be nothing worse than having to call a trip short because all of our money was gone paying for medical bills, especially when a small investment in the beginning could have prevented it.

What do you think? Is travel insurance a necessary purchase, or a waste of money? Stay tuned for next week when we talk more about the different kinds of insurance and what they might cover.

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Low Fare Promise

In the unlikely event that you find a lower rate on OneTravel or on another U.S.-based website within 4 hours of booking with OneTravel.com, we will credit or refund you the difference. Should you contact us after 4 hours but no later than 24 hours, we will give you a US$50.00 coupon good on a future booking at OneTravel.com. The Low Fare Promise is subject to the terms and conditions listed below. This offer is good for website bookings only, and not on phone bookings.